This review originally appeared in the
February 2014 edition of the Northern
& Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom,
California – mg
Sacramento, California – Say Fiat 500 and most expect: tiny
car, limited horsepower, a handful of perks.
Not so with the all-new 2014 Fiat
500L Lounge, a four-door, five passenger car with some saucy lines to make it
stand out. Think of it as the Fiat 500
with something extra … a lot extra to be truthful.
The “Lounge” version is the top end
of four trim 500L levels, and my tester looked ready for battle on 17-inch
wheels resting under flared wheel arches and an aggressively sculpted front end
to knife through the wind.
All this made the 500L Lounge look
about twice the size of the previously tested, standard Fiat 500. Happily, there’s more horsepower under the
hood to put the 500L Lounge through its paces.
Power comes from a 1.4-liter,
four-cylinder, turbocharged engine with a max horsepower rating of 160. That certainly was enough to make most of my
driving efforts enjoyable, although there was a slight lag in time between
mashing the accelerator to the floor and delivery of somewhat noisy full power.
Handling was nimble, and the car
showed that it was capable of quick lane changes at high speed, sans any wiggle
on the back end. Very nice.
The turbo did little to hurt the
fuel mileage, which came in at a respectable 24 miles per gallon in the city
and 33 mpg on the open road.
Interior room was good, way better
than the basic Fiat 500, and the layout of controls was nicely done, with the
comfort of the driver in mind. One thing
I did have trouble with from the cockpit was a double A-pillar arrangement in
the windshield. It looked stylish, but
it definitely affected visibility, particularly on left-hand turns.
The list of standard features was
pretty impressive for this class, including knee-bolstering airbags, reactive
head restraints, a tire pressure-monitoring system, dual zone climate control,
heated front seats and a fancy chrome/leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Naturally, you have to pay a little
bit more for a Fiat that offers more.
Starting fare on the tester was $24,195, boosted to $27,445 on the
bottom line due to extras that included a $950 power sunroof and $500 worth of
enhanced audio speakers.
So, if you’ve been wanting a Fiat
that has more than a major cute factor going for it, this 500L Lounge is likely
worth a serious look. This vehicle is
right out of the Mini Cooper playbook – a beefier version of the basic ride.
I can’t argue with that proven
strategy. And this 500L Lounge had
enough to make me want to spend more time in it.
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